Carillion Wines was the big winner at the Orange Wine Show last weekend, its 2014 The Crystals Chardonnay winning best wine of show, best white wine and best chardonnay. In addition, Carillion won the judges’ encouragement award for its 2015 Rogue Series Funky Ferment Verduzzo.

The awards dinner was held at Philip Shaw winery (tastings) just outside Orange last Friday night, October 16. The Union Bank catered and excelled itself with a fine local menu, which included Mandagery Creek house-cured venison bresaola, with Jannei goat’s curd mousse served with Cowra asparagus (“from NSW’s last remaining asparagus farm”) and hazelnut crumb, and the hero dish: Nanima saltbush lamb neck served with potato gnocchi, foraged nettle puree, roast Morganics garlic gel and scapes (look it up!). A unanimous ‘Yum!’ followed its consumption, which was enhanced (at least on my table) by a glass of 2014 Angullong Shiraz.

Related Posts

About the authorHuon Hooke

Huon Hooke is a leading Australian wine expert, critic and show judge, best known for his weekly columns in Sydney Morning Herald Good Food, and is contributing editor, tasting panel member and columnist at Gourmet Traveller WINE Magazine.